Peristaltic pump

ABSTRACT

A peristaltic pump ( 1 ) with a rotating squeeze roller carrier ( 12 ), a squeeze hose ( 14 ) partly looping around the squeeze rollers ( 13 ) and a curved contact wall ( 19 ) for the squeeze hose ( 14 ), the contact wall ( 19 ) being opposite to the effective surface of the squeeze rollers, whereby the contact wall ( 19 ) is movable by way of a setting lever ( 5 ) from a setting (FIG.  5 ), which enables fitting with the squeeze hose ( 14 ), to a work setting (FIG.  6 ), pressing the squeeze hose ( 14 ) against the squeeze rollers ( 13 ) and whereby the contact wall ( 19 ) forms a part of a pump housing cover ( 6 ) at which the setting lever ( 5 ) is positioned to be outwardly pivotable for displacement of the cover ( 6 ).

FIELD OF INVENTION

The invention relates to a peristaltic pump, in particular for use indishwashers for the metering of a liquid or pasty cleaning agent, with arotating squeeze roller carrier, a squeeze hose partly looping round thesqueeze rollers and a curved contact wall, which is disposed oppositethe effective surface of the squeeze rollers, for the squeeze hose.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

In one metering pump used by the applicant the squeeze hose is laid in ablock-shaped pump body, which has a substantially semicircular edgewall, around spring-mounted squeeze rollers on a squeeze roller carrier,wherein after assembly a cover is screw-connected over thisconfiguration, one of the counter-bearings of the squeeze roller carrierbeing provided in the cover. In that case it is also known to providethe squeeze hose bend, which is positioned in the pump, with couplingand detent heads which are fixed in the region of the housing outer wallin order to then connect the hoses with, for example, the dishwasher.

In the case of another solution employed by the applicant (e.g. DE 39 43 430 A1) the squeeze hose bend is accommodated in a plastics materialyoke which forms the curved contact wall for the squeeze hose in the useposition, wherein the curved wall is detented with a squeeze hose, whichis detented in place, after being laid around the squeeze hose rollersat the pump body. The fastening of the squeeze wall in a plane,perpendicular to the squeeze -roller axis, is also shown in DE-26 57908-B2 or DD-157 620, whereas U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,442 shows the fastingof the wall through a parallel leverage with a pivot handle.

It has proved that the known designs of peristaltic pumps are stillcomparatively costly, wherein in the case of the first solution theexchange, which is necessary from time to time, of the squeeze hose bendis possible only by screwing on the cover, whereas in the case of thesolution provided with the pivot cover a disadvantage arises, inparticular, in the susceptibility of the cover to breakage and thus lossof the functional capability of the pump.

Peristaltic pumps of-other construction are known from DE 33 26 766-A1or DE-696 16 336 T2 or from DE-GM 71 47 400, to give only a fewexamples.

The object of the invention is to create a solution by which a simpleexchange of the squeeze hose bend is made possible, without looseningany screws, and with a robust construction of all elements.

According to the invention this object is met with a peristaltic pumpaccording to claim 1.

Because of the design of the contact wall movable by way of a pivotlever an extremely simple squeeze hose positioning is possible. Thepivot lever is opened, wherein the contact wall is removed from thehose, the hose can be removed or exchanged, the pivot lever is closedand the contact wall and all other pump elements are disposed in theworking position. At the same time it is achieved by this design that onclosing the pump housing cover the contact wall, which is integrallyformed therewith, is simultaneously displaced into the working position.

Embodiments of the invention are evident from the subclaims.

According to the invention the squeeze roller carrier together with thesqueeze rollers is positioned at a housing base, wherein support detentsfor receiving pivot cams of the setting lever are provided at thehousing base. In that case it can be advantageous in a furtherembodiment if guides for receiving slide rails at the housing cover areprovided at the housing base.

It can be advantageous if an end wall with a detent tongue as well aswith two substantially U-shaped recesses for passage of the squeeze hoseis provided at the housing base, wherein in a further embodiment it canbe provided that the setting lever is constructed as a yoke withcounter-detent for detenting at the detent tongue in the housing closedsetting. In that case it is possible to provide with the same detentelement a carrier not only for the squeeze hose bend, but also for thesetting lever or setting yoke.

The squeeze hose can be provided at a hose carrier or, however, can bepositioned as an individual element in corresponding detent recesses inthe housing end wall, which is equally proposed by the invention.

Further advantages, details and features of the invention are evidentfrom the following description as well as on the basis of the drawing,in which:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF FIGURES

FIGS. 1 to 4 show, in perspective illustration, different positions ofthe pump head of the peristaltic pump from the unlocked setting up tothe squeeze hose withdrawal setting and

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a cross-section through the housing of the pump headin unlocked and locking setting.

Of the peristaltic pump according to the invention, there is illustratedin the figures the pump head; the corresponding drives are not furtherdepicted here.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

The pump head denoted generally by 1 comprises a base element 2 whith anintegrally formed end wall 3 and two side walls 4 which are in turnintegrally formed therewith, as well as a housing cover 6 which isdisplaceable by way of a pivot lever 5, and which in turn has integrallyformed side wall surfaces 7 parallel to the side wall surfaces 4 of thebase part. The side wall surfaces 7 of the housing cover have, at thelower outer edge thereof, integrally formed slide rails 8 which aredisplaceable guided in corresponding counter rails or grooves in theregion of transition from the base of the side wall surfaces 4.

As evident particularly from FIG. 2, the pivot yoke 5 is pivotablymounted at the cover 6 by way of inwardly pointing hinge pins 9, whereinoutwardly pointing pins 10 can bear against pivot projections 11 whichare integrally formed at the side walls 4 of the base part to pintinwardly.

A rotor 12 (FIG. 4) with three squeeze rollers 13, which 6 can bebrought into rotation by a drive which is not illustrated in moredetail, is detented in the base element 2. As illustrated in FIGS. 3 and4, a squeeze hose bend 14 is fixed by the coupling projections 15 in asqueeze hose carrier 16, which can be detented—with or released from thefront side 3 by way of sliding guides, wherein the connections 15project outwardly beyond the entire housing.

At this point it is to be noted that the squeeze hose bend 14 is fixablealso as an individual element by way of alternatively provided slots 17in the carrier plate 16 or directly in the slots 18 in the end wall 3,depending on the respective construction. The cover 6 has, in theinterior, the contact wall 19 for the squeeze hose 14, wherein thiscontact wall 19 presses the squeeze hose 14 against the squeeze roller13 by way of pivotation in accordance with arrow 20 in FIG. 5, as isevident from FIG. 6, which shows the pump head in closed setting, i.e.the cover 6 is displaced in accordance with arrow 21 from the positionillustrated in FIG. 5 to the closed position illustrated in FIG. 6.

The end wall 3 is beyond that furnished with a detent element 22 whichco-operates with a detent counter-element 23 at the pivot yoke 5 anddetents all elements together in the closed setting.

It can be seen that an exchange of the squeeze hose bend 14 subjected towear is extremely simple:

From the closed setting illustrated in FIG. 6, the pivot lever 5 ispivoted upwardly, whereby solely through the resilience of the squeezehose 14, which bears against the contact wall 19, the cover 6 isdisplaced to the right in the figures, at least into the slightly openposition illustrated in FIG. 1. If the pivot lever is now pivotedsomewhat further and releases the contact cam 11, the cover can bewithdrawn from the housing base 3 by way of the slide rails 8, thisposition being illustrated in FIG. 3, wherein at the same time thesqueeze hose bend 14 is freed so that the squeeze hose carrier 16together with the squeeze hose 14 can be withdrawn upwardly, as isdepicted in FIG. 4. After placing a new squeeze hose bend 14 around thesqueeze rollers 13, there takes place a pushing together of the elementsand finally locking in the working position illustrated in FIG. 6.

1-6. (canceled)
 7. A peristaltic pump comprising: a) a plurality ofrotating squeeze rollers; b) a squeeze hose connectably looped aroundthe squeeze rollers; c) a contact wall; and d) a setting lever; thecontact wall being opposite the squeeze rollers, whereby the contactwall is connected to and movable by the setting lever, wherein thesqueeze hose is compressed by the squeeze rollers by moving the settinglever which engages the contact wall against the squeeze hose.
 8. Theperistaltic pump according to claim 7, wherein the squeeze rollers arepositioned on a housing base, wherein support detents for receivingpivot cams of the setting lever are provided on the housing base.
 9. Theperistaltic pump according to claim 8, wherein the guides for receivingslide rails for a housing cover are provided on the housing base. 10.The peristaltic pump according to claim 8, wherein an end wall with adetent tongue and with two substantially U-shaped recesses for passageof the squeeze hose is provided on the housing base.
 11. The peristalticpump according to claim 7, wherein the setting lever is constructed as ayoke with a counter detent for detenting on a detent tongue when thehousing is closed.
 12. The peristaltic pump according to claim 7,wherein the squeeze hose is provided on a hose carrier when the housingis open and is positionable at a housing end wall.